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M. S. PALMER. MAKING MEDICAL POWDERS.

No 32,642. Patented June 25, 1861.

0,. WASHI U. s. PATENT' OFFICE.

\ AMNVWWWAM Machine for Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers.

MARK S. PALMER, OF NEW BED-FORD, MASS.

Letters Patent No. 1,638, dated June 25, 1861.

SPECIFICATION.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known, that I, M. S. PALMER, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State'of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Machinery for Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and-exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making a part of this specification, in WlliOll'- Figure l is a side elevation of one side of the improved machine, severalof the parts of which are represented as being broken away to exhibit some of the parts behind them. This figureerepresents the several movable parts of the machine in their proper relative position, when the strip of paper is ready to receive the powder. 7 e

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine, represented in a section taken in the horizontal plane indicated by the red line a: w, figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the course of red line y-y in figure 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe several figures.

' This invention relates to certain novel improvements in machinery for preparing strips of paper, filling them with certain quantities of powder, and for folding the powder up in the papers in a proper manner and shape for medical purposes. The invention is intended more especiallyior folding papers containing homoeopathic powders, and for folding and filling papers with Seidlitz powders; but will be hereinafter shown that, by varying the size of the parts which receive the papers of powder.

2 U. S. PATENT Orrro'n, 1861.--No. 1,638.

Palmers Improved Machincfor Filling and Folding Mdt'cal Powder Papers. 7

papers and fold them, the machine may be adapted for folding large or small The nature of my inventionconsists:

Firstly, in the combination of a horizontal transverse feed-roller, rotating on a bed plate, a pressure plate, acting upon a bed plate, a shear-cutting knife, anda reciprocating finger-carrying plate, all arranged in such a relation to a folding box, and operating in such a manner, as will be hereinafter described, that slips of paper of the proper width will be fed under the knife, cut off the proper length and width, and carried into the folding box to receive the powder, and to be folded up.

Secondly, in constructing the folding box with jointed sides, operated upon by certain levers and springs, as will. be hereinafter described, in combination with is sliding plate in the bottom of said box, arranged and operating in the manner hereinafter described.

Thirdly, in the employment of a pressing or creasing block, operating in vertical guides, and acted upon by levers and springs, which give to it an alternate verticalmovement, as will be 'hereinafter described; said block being so arranged with relation to the folding box that it presses and creasesthe strip of paper down evenly into this box, and leaves the paper in a proper condition to receive its side folds from the side plates of thefolding box, as will be hereinafter described; and, in conjunction with this pressing head, two spring-fingers are so arranged at each end of the folding box, and acted upon by said head, that they hold the strip of paper down in the bottom of the-folding box, after the creasing head leaves it, until the side plates of this box commence to fold the paper, as will be hereinafter described.

Fourthly, in combining a plunger, having a central" hollow shaft, with the aforesaid creasing head, the same being arranged and operating, as will be here: inafter described, for pushing the paper, after it has been filled and its sides folded, through the bottom of the folding box, thereby crimping the ends of the paper and discharging it from the machine.

Fifthly, in arranging, above the creasing head and its plunger, a hopper for containing powder, and in arranging under this hopper a reciprocating measuring box, which receives its charge of powder from the hopper, and discharges the measured quantity through a vertical tube, communicating with the hollow shaft of the plunger, into the paper which is in the folding box ready to receive it; all. as will be hereinafter fully explained. I

To enable those skilled in the art'to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a table, and A A are two end pieces which project up perpendicularly from the ends of table A a suitable distance, and are connected at their top ends by a horizontal cross-bar A3.- This forms the frame for containing and supporting the several parts of the machine.

U. S. PATENT Orricn, 186l.-No..1,638. v 3

Palmer's Improved Machine for Filling and Folding Medicdllowder Papers.

B is ashortcrank shaft, which has its hearings in one arm of the double hearing block B and in a perpendicular portion B This crank shaft is arranged pear one end of the table A, and it gives rotary motion to a horizontal transverse shaft 0, through the medium of pinion spur wheel a and large spur wheel a represented in figure 2 of the drawings. Shaft B carries, on 'one end, a short crank arm a and on the opposite end a hand crank M. The crank a gives a vibrating motion to its stirrers b, shown in figure 3, which are arranged within a hopper 12 through the medium of a rod 6 a pivoted angular lever 5 a horizontal connecting rod 6*, and a short rod 6 which is connected to the transverse rocking bar to which the stirrers b are secured.

On the oppositeend of shaft C, to the spur wheel a is keyeda bevel spur wheel 0, the teeth of which engage with a corresponding bevel spur Wheele keyed to the end of a horizontal shaft G which is at right angles to shaft 0-. This shaft 0 extends in a longitudinal direction to the opposite (front) end of the table A, and gives rotary motion to a horizontal transverse feed-roller shaft C through the twin bevel spur wheels c 0 figures 1, 2 and 3. This roller shaft 0 carries a feed-roller D, which has an irregularly curved surface, for thepuw pose of operating alternately upon the slip of paper represented in red'lines, figure 1, which passes over the horizontal shaft or bed plate D The feed-roller D is in length equal to the width of the slip of paper from which the powder papers are cut, and at each end of this feed-roller is a longitudinal guide plate 01, which extends from the inside of the perpendicular end piece A to the edge of the bed plate D These two guide plates d d serve to guide the slip of paper up straight to the knife. The paper, in passing over bed plate D to be cut, passes under a spring pressure plate D the edge of which is pressed down by a spring el -on the paper near the edge of bed plate D and close to the cutting edge of the fixed plate 0Z which extends along the edge of the plate D The knife D is pivoted, at 1, to th'e-':end of plate 03 and the cutting edge of this knife D works against the cutting edge-of plate d and cuts the slip of paper off in proper lengths.v Knife D isoperatediby a jointed rod 0Z which connects with vibrating arm E; arm E is pivoted at one end,at a point near the top of end piece A and this arm E extends along in a longitudinal direction a suitable distance, and has its end bent so as to form two right angles, as represented in figures l and 2 of the drawings. d is a helical spring, which is connected to the arm E and to a perpendicular standard e, figure 1. This spring 01 keeps the bent end of arm E suspended in the position represented in figure 1 until it is acted upon by the. downward motion of the long arm-of great leverG, hereinafter explained.

E is a horizontal plate, the plane of which is some distancebelow the plane of 7 bed plate D on each side of this plate E which is about as wide as the bedplate D is a longitudinal ledge or projecting guide plate e for keeping the strips. of paper straight. These two side or guide plates e e extend along par- 4 US, PATENT Omen, 186l.'-No. 1,638.

I Palmers Improved Mdchinefor Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers.

allel to eachother, past the folding box, and are thus made to serve as ends for this folding box. The plate'E. has two longitudinal slots-e e through it, as

shown in figure2, through which slots play two vertical pins 6 a which projeet up from a reciprocating plate E shown infigure 3. 'Plate E3 is in a hori zontal plane and works between the guide plates e e on the surface of the table A. The plate E is the width of the length of the papers when folded, and the guide plates e at on each side of this plate E areeach equal in width to the length of the folded ends of the papers. The plates a e extend through the folding box and form aportion, of the bottom of this box and leave a space in the middle of the box equal in width to the plate E through which space the paper is thrust in the act of receiving its end folds, as will be hereinafter described.

' At the end of plate E is a plate F, the edge of'which is level with the surface of plate E. The plate F forms one side of the folding box, and its height is equal to'about one-half the width of the folding box. This plate F is pivoted at its lower corners to the bottom of 'the guard plates e eand the coiled spring e keeps the top part of plate F up against the edges of plate E. Opposite to plate F is another pivoted plate F corresponding in length and height to plate E, which completes the four sides of the folding box. Plate F is acted upon by a coiled spring e, which keeps the upper edge of this plate up against a shelf E which shelf is in the same horizontal plane as slotted plate E and at the back of this shelf projects up a ledge f, against which one edge of the strip of paper abuts, when it is in a proper position to be acted upon by a creasing head H, hereinafter explained.

The plate 1L receives an. end play, by the following arrangement: f is a rod jointed to plate E and to the end of a vibrating lever f which receives its vibration from a long longitudinal rod f to which this lever f is pivoted; f

extends back behind the shaft 0', and this rear end has a notch on it, shown in dotted lines, figure 1, into which the end of a spring tripping plate 9 catches when the rod f ismo-ved back. This rod f is bent up, as represented in figure 1, in such a manner that the end of tripping plate gwill always rest on its extreme end, and that the toe 9 on shaft 0, will move this rod back under the tripping plate g, to be caught by this plate at each revolution of said toe- The toe 9 also strikes an arm which projects up from, and forms a part of, this tripping plate and releasesthe rod f from the tripping plate, when a coiled spring 9 moves the rod f forward and throws the plate E under the pressing block H. In this manner, at every revolution of the toe 9 theplate E is moved from under the pressing block H and again returned. This alternate reciprocating motion of plate E- causes the pins e e 3 projecting from this plate through the slots e a in plate E to move a strip of paper up under the pressing block H, in a proper position to be operated upon by the creasing block H.

G G are two vibrating levers, operated by the eccentrics-Gr Gfl'which are U. S. P TENT OFFICE, 1861.-No. 1,638. 5

Palm ear s matted Machine for Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers.

keyed-t0. the shaft 0, through the medium of connecting rods Gr G These levers operate alternately upon their respective plates F F at proper times, and

shut these plates down on'the bottom of the folding box; then, as the levers release the plates, the springs e ande return the plates to their original positions.

At the ends of the folding box herein above described, and on the outside of the plates-e e ,aretw-o perpendicular guides it h, between which work the creasing block Hi This creasing block H rests on springs k M, which are coiled around the guides h h, andthese springs force the block H up, when it is released from the lever H to allow astrip of paper to be put over the folding box.

4 The width and length of block H is such that it will fit snugly into the folding box when pressed into it.

Through the middle of the length of the head'H is a vertical hole, and through this hole passes a tube'I, which has fixed to its lowerend a plunger J, which is equal in its length to. the width of plate E and in its width to that of the folding box- This plunger; J. will thus pass through the central portion, which is in. the bottom of the folding box. I

A recess ismade in the bottom of the head H, to receive the plunger plate J, and, when the plunger is fully drawn up into this recess in the creasing head H, its bottom surface is level with the bottom. of the creasing head. The tube I has two lugs 72, k projecting out from each side and near its upper end, and on these lugs rest the bifurcated end of the lever G. Tube I has also a short arm projecting from its upper end, to. the end of which a coiled spring It is attached; this spring is. attached, at its upper end, to the top of standard 6, audit thus operates upon the tube to keep the lugs 112 7& up against the end of lever G. This spring Ze gives the upward motion to the plunger J, and holds this plunger up against the bottom of the block H, when this block is in operation. The lever G is pivoted at 13 to a block which hangs down from the bar A and the rear end of this lever G is connected to a plate K, which-receives a vertical motion from a toe orcam K which is keyed tov the shaft 0 and lifts theplate K at each revolntion. The spring it throws the plate K down again, after the toe K releases it. The lever H, which has its fulcrum. at i in a standard V, which projects from table A, is acted: upon by a vertical plate K which receives an upward motion from a toe K on shaft G. The upward motion of plate K moves the pressing head down into the folding box, and when the toe K releases the plate K the springs 72, 72 together with spring h elevate the pressing head H and plunger J again. In the revolution of toe K it operates upon the lower curved end of a perpendicular lever Li, pivoted to a hanger L which projects down from bar A 1. This lever L, has a horizontal rod L pivoted to its upper end, which rod passes in a longitudinal direction to a sliding block M, shown in figures 1 and 3, and is pivoted to the end of this block M. The rear end of rod L has a notch formed on it, so that this rod will be caught and held by the spring catch plate 6 2 U. St PATENT OFrIoE, 186l.-No. 1;,638. 9

Pazmem Improved Mackinefor Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers.

j figure 1, when rod L is forced back.- A coiled spring '70 is applied to the upper arm of lever L, which moves the lever and the rod L forward, whenthis rod is released from catch j l The toe K moves the rodL back until it is caught and held by the spring catch ;then, when this "toe K lifts the plate K a vertical tripping rod 70 which projects: up from K ,,lifts the catchplate j and allows spring is to move therod L forward, thus' givi'ng an alternate reciprocatin g motion to the r0dL and consequently to the blOCkM, which is attached to this rod. The block M moves back and forth longitudinally within a square case l, with which case the hopper b and the" tube m communicate. The block M has a hole through it, the capacity of which maybe graduated in any suitable mahner; this hole through the block M is brought alternately under tbe'ho pper tube 12 and over the tube m, by the means herein above described. The vertical tube m passes down a suitable distance'into tube I, and serves as a guide for this tube I in its vertical movement.

At the ends of the folding box, and suitably let into the side plates e e are two vertical rods n n, the upper ends of which are turned over at right angles, as represented in figure 3, soas to form fingers. The lower. ends of rods n n are connected to the front ends of rocking levers 1010 which are arranged under the v table A and have their fulcra inhanger's 1 0 10 From the rear ends of levers p.

1 projects up a curved latch plate 9', which passes up through a hole in'tahle A. A spring r is coiled around the latch plate 1* under the table-A, which spring bears against the under side ofthe table A and also against the rear arms of levers 0 p. A coiled spring 1' is connected to the top end of latch 1' above thetable; this spring is used for the purpose of holding the catcher hook on plate r, in its place, when the rear ends of levers p10 are forced up. The latch plate 'r is further acted upon by a short lever s, which is struck by apin on the side of spur; wheel al so as to release the latch 1' and allow s'pring r toforce the rear ends of levers 10 down, and the rods'n n upward, in the positions represented infigures 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings. The upper ends or :fi ngers ofj r'ods n n are moved down on the bed of the folding box by the creasingfblock ffilwhen thisblock' is depressed. I

The lever E is acted upon with a downward pressure-by the end of lever G,.

and this downward motion of lever E forces the knife D down and cuts ofi" a strip of paper. The lever E and knife D are raised again by spring dt, when the lever G is raised. V a 1 The operation of the entire machine is as follows:

Motion is given to the main driving shaft B by t lrning'the crank in the direc tion indicated by the arrow in figure 1, and thisshaft transmits an opposite rotary motion to shaft 0 through spurwheels a al Shaft C gives a rotary motion to shaft 0 and this latter shaft gives a rotary motion to shaft 0 and turns the feedroller in the direction indicated by the. arrows in figures 1 and 2.

The end of a roll of paper, of the .proper width to pass between the guide a! .r us. PATENT Omen, 1861.'-'N d.-1,638.

" Pdlmers Improved Machine for Filling and Folding Medica ZPowder Papers.

guard plates d cl, is passed through a slot in the end piece A, as represented in figure 1, until it is received by the feed-roller D. This feed-roller now moves the paper along the bed plate D under the spring pressure plate D and towards the knife D When a proper length of paper has passed under the feed-roller D, this feed-roller ceases to operate upon the paper. The knife D 'is now de-' pressed and a proper length of paper is out off from the-end of theroll, falls down on the plate E, and is moved quickly over the folding box by the pins'e e as represented in figure 1. The creasing block H now descends and creases this piece of paper which lies under it, preparatory to the folding operation. This pressing or creasing block H, in its descending movement, presses down the rods '11 n, and causes the paper to beheld down by the fingers on these rods. At this point inthe operation the block M discharges a quantity of powder through tube .272 and tube I into the creased paper. The creasing block H is now thrown up, and the side plate. F folds one side of the creased paper over the powder and instantly returns back to its former position; then the opposite folding plate F operates and folds the opposite side of the creased paper over the first folded side;

this plate F again recedes and leaves the powder folded within the paper in the 'folding'box. At-the instant the, first folding plate F starts to perform its vvdrk the pin s strikes lever s, disengages the latch plate r, and allows spring r to force the rods 'n 1% up so as to raise the paper from the fingers on these rods 2?. n.

The toe j on shaft 0 now moves the rod f 3 back, which causes the plate E? to recede from the folding box and leave the space, herein referred to, in the bottom .of this box open; rod f is caught by the hook or spring plate g,-which keeps the plate E in the position just described. The leverGr is now brought into action, and the plunger J is caused to descend and force the paper with the powder in it down through the quadrangular space in the bottom of the folding box, and crease the ends of the paper against the edges of the plates e at, so that these ends may be readily folded over by hand in packing the powders up. into boxes.

When the lever Gr causes the plungerJ to descend, it also forces the knife D down and cuts off another powder paper, which has been fed up to the knife to the roller D, and this piece of paper falls down, as did the first one,'on the plate E and before the pins 6 e. The plunger J now ascends again and the plate E is allowed to fly back again, filling up the space in the bottomof the folding box, and carrying a piece of paper over-the folding box to be acted upon by the creasing or pressing block H as above described.

During these operations the stirrers b, in hopper box 6 are vibrated, and this agitates the powderin the hopper and causes the powder to be discharged regw larly into the. hole through the reciprocating block M; then this hole is brought under the hole in the bottom of the hopper. This block M receives an alternate reciprocating motionfrom the crank armor? of the main shaft B, through the medium of levers and connecting rods hereinbefore described, and this alternate motion of block M is in harmony with the feeding and folding of the paper, so

8 U S. PATENT Orrrcn, 1861.No.-1,638.

Palmers Improved for Filling and Folding Medical Powder Papers.

that the powder will be dropped in the centre of the paper, while the creasing or pressing head H is in a. depressed condition.

The ends or figngers of vertical rods n n are intended to'hold the paper after it has been. creased in. the folding box, to allow the creasing head to ascend without drawing it eat of the box. These rods n n are thrown up immediately preceding the operation of the folding plates F F, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, what I' claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I let. The feed-roller D, had plate E spring pressure plate D and knife D3, in combination with the reciprocating fingers or pins e9: e working in slots through the lower plate 'E, allarranged with relation to the folding box and operating substantially as herein. described.

2nd. The-folding bolx, constructed with jointed folding sides F E operating as deseribed,, in combination with the reciprocating bottom plate E and its side bottom. plates e e, as set forth.

3rd. The pressingor creasing block; H, operating between suitable guides h h; when said block is arranged in the relation. to the folding box, and operates as described, to crease the paper preparatory to the folding operationj and, in combination with creasing head, I claimthe holding fingers n n; or their equivalents,

operating substantially'as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4th. I claim,'in connection with creasing head H, the plunger J; and in combination with, this plunger'I claim the hollow stem or tube I, tube m, case I, reciprocating measurin g block M, and hopper 11 all arranged and operating conjoint-1y,

substantially as herein described.

MARK S. PALMER Witnesses G; N. YANc z; I; D. 'I sormnn. 

